The House began consideration of lobbying reform legislation, with specific attention towards the lobbying of executing branch officials. Yesterday the Oversight and Government Reform Committee considered H.R. 984, the Executive Branch Reform Act of 2007. The bill would require senior government officials to report significant contacts with lobbyists to the Office of Government Ethics. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the bill could be attached to the House's lobby reform legislation expected to be voted on in March.

The Communications Workers of America have launched a program advocating for a national strategy to make high speed Internet service universally available. Here's what they say about why this issue is important: We are falling behind because the United States is the only industrialized country without a national policy to promote high speed broadband. Instead, we have relied on a hodge-podge of fragmented government programs and uneven private sector responses to changing markets.

Representative Bartlett (R-MD) has introduced H.R. 71, the First Amendment Restoration Act. This bill would repeal the "electioneering communication" provision in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. The "electioneering communication" ban prohibits labor unions, corporations, and nonprofits from sponsoring broadcast advertisements that have any reference to a federal candidate 30 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election. Bartlett's press release references the Wisconsin Right to Life case that the Supreme Court will hear April 25.